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6 Enchanting Libraries from Film and TV

April 8, 2016

Lists of the world’s most beautiful libraries are not hard to come by on the Internet. Everyone from Buzzfeed to Architectural Digest has curated their list of the most spectacular and breathtaking libraries.

What about fictional libraries? We’ve all read books that describe a heavenly home for books where every volume you can imagine lives. We’ve built these libraries in our imaginations and sometimes they’ve been recreated for the screen.

Of course the TV and film versions don’t always match our internal creation. Sometimes, though, what we see on the screen is simply stunning.

Here are six fictional, echanting libraries brought to life on the screen that every book lover wants to call home.

1. Beast’s library in Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite Disney movies. I confess I dreamed of being Belle — the bookworm beauty — as a child. Also, let’s be honest — who wouldn’t see the good side of the Beast after he gifts you access to ALL THOSE BOOKS?

2. Library from The Name of the Rose

Housed in a fortified tower at an Italian Benedictine monastery, the labyrinth library or aedificuium’s labyrinth, sounds like a paradise for someone who wants to obtain as much knowledge as possible. It’s not easy to explain the library, but there’s a very intellectual layout of it. The Name of the Rose was made into a movie in 1986, starring Sean Connery. Read my review of the book.

4. Library from The Mummy

This library appears only briefly in the beginning of “The Mummy” when we meet Evelyn. It’s a funny scene as she totters around on a ladder. I included this library because it’s attached to an antiquities museum….history and books!

5. Library from Harry Potter

This was a given, right? Why wouldn’t this list include magical, flying books?

6. Library from The Librarians

If you haven’t checked out TNT’s “The Librarians,” do it! It’s a fantastic show combining magic, books, and history. This library houses such amazing items like Excalibur!